roberts



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. r. ROBERTS. DETAGHABLB METALLIC PIPE COUPLING.

Patented July 1, 1890'.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2. E. P. ROBERTS. DETAGHABLE METALLIC PIPE COUPLING. 196. I

Patented July 1, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

EDWARD F. ROBERTS, OF ROCHESTER, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ROBERTS MANUFACTURING OOMPAN Y.

DETACHABLE METALLIC PIPE-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,196, dated July 1, 1890.. Application filed June 11, 1889. Serial No. 313,898. (No model.)

.T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARDF. ROBERTS, a citizen of GreatBritain, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable Metallic Pipe- Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists in a certain improved form of flexible pipe-coupling hereinafter to be described and claimed.

[5 In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one form of my pipe-coupling in position. Fig. 2 is a side view of a similar coupling in which the details difier slightly from Fig. 1 and the jaws are not fully inter- .locked. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one part of the muff-coupling employed, with certain details not shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a sectionalview of my improved ball-andsocket joint. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a pipe end and the parts forming a swiveljoint therefor. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the spring-thimble.

My invention is designed to be principally employed in coupling the steam-pipes on rail- 0 way-cars.

A is a steam-pipe on one car, and B that on another. They are presumably placed not at the center of the car but to one side thereof, so that when two cars are coupled together the said steam-pipes will be diagonally opposite one to the other.

C O are two universal ball-and-socket joints, by which the pipe-elbows D D are connected to the steam-pipes A B. The pipe-elbows D D are bent nearly or quite at right angles at two points and have their lower ends connected together in a swivel-joint by a suitable two-part Inuif-c0upling having interlocking jaws. The said muff-coupling is composed of the two parts M M, which have jaws J J and suitable internal lips or shoulders S. These latter overhang the circular collars f on the pipe ends P, and consequently when the two parts of the muff-coupling are held together by their interlocking jaws the pipe ends are forced together in steam-tight con tact and yet are at liberty to turn one upon the other, thereby forming a swivel-joint, The ends of the jaws J J are beveled at j j to facilitate their interlocking action. In the modification shown in Fig. 3 also there are ratchet-teeth L on certain jaws and corresponding spring-pawls 0 upon the opposing faces of the parts M M. These spring-pawls have suitable projections o, and there are suitable recesses :1, into which they may be forced by pressure upon the projection or thumb-piece 0. l V

The collars f 011 the pipe ends P may be solid thereon,'or they may be turned on suitable sleeves F, which are screwed on. the pipe ends, as shown in the preferred construction in Fig. 5. These sleeves have handles H H, by which the pipe ends may be conveniently. handled when heated and by which the sleeves F may be screwed back and forth to insure a tight joint with the muff-coupling. These handles may be on opposite sides of the pipe ends, as shown in Fig. 1, or upon the same side, as shown in Fig. 2, according to whichever arrangement may prove more satisfactory. A ring E, as shown in Fig. 5, may also be screwed over the end of pipe and against the sleeve F. This ring has a beveled face 6, against which a packing-ring I, having a correspondingly-beveled face '6, fits. Over these rings there slips the spring-thimble K, which has the inwardly-projecting lip k, which engages with the packing-ring I, and by means of the spring-pressure which it exercises upon the surface of the ring E holds the packing-ring against the face of the latter. The outer face 1" of the packing-ring I is a straight or plane face.

The two parts M M of the muff-coupling may have handles It It, by which they can be rotated and the interlocking action produced, as shown in Fig. 2, or one of these parts, as M, may be screwed or cast solid on the pipe or otherwise rendered incapable of rotation, 5 while the part M is left free to rotate. In this case, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, the two parts of the muff-coupling may be disengaged by rotating the one part by means of a chain it attached to its handle. I00

- the two parts V V of the packing together,

thereby taking up any wear which may have resulted from the use of the joint. The cap Z is kept in any position of adjustment by the spring-pawl z, which is attached to it and engages with the notches or ratchet-teeth on the socket Y.

The method of operation of my invention is clear. The play given to the pipe-elbows D D by means of the two ball-and-socket joints 0 O and the swivel-joint by which their lower ends are connected enables the coupling to adjust itself to any position of the cars within the limits of the construction. When the coupling is to be uncoupled, the jaws upon the parts M M of the muif-coupling are disengaged by rotating one or the other or both of said parts. If the modification shown in Fig. 3 is employed it may be necessary to press back the spring-pawl O by means of the thumb-piece or projection 0, or the ratchet-teeth L may be V-shaped, so that the spring-pawl will slip over them when. sufficient power is applied, but would not permit the jaws to unlock underordinary circumstances. WVhen one of the parts, as M, is incapable of rotation, a pull on the chain connected to the otherpart, which chain may lead to the car-platform or may be attached to the car itself, will result in uncoupling the connecting parts. Wear in the ball-andsocket joints 0 C is taken up by means of the screw-cap, as already explained.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 furnishes an efficient and convenient swivel-joint for coupling the ends of the pipes together, inasmuch as the pressure obtained by forcing the beveled jaws on the two parts of the muff-coupling into engagement compresses the two packing-rings I and forces them tightly into the recesses formed by the beveled face of the ring E and the surrounding thimble K. The two packing-rings are forced together and do not turn one upon the other, but each turns upon the smooth metal face of the ring E, thereby reducing wear and in-' suring at all times a tight joint. The use of the elbow-pipes D D affords room on the end of the pipe P to attach the various parts illustrated, which form a simple and convenient swivel-coupling. Moreover, the use of the said elbow-pipes gives a complex and varying motion to the ball-andsocket joints, whereby the latter are worn evenly and can be kept tight.

Another advantage resulting from this construction is that the interposition of the four elbows between the points of attachment to the two cars allows the parts of the coupling to spring a little and take up any sudden jar due to the unequal motion of said cars. Fur thermore, the cap Z may be made so as to nearly inclose the ball NV, and the packing V V may nearly surround the same, thus insuring ample bearing-surfaces and a tight joint, while at the same time the coupling has ample play,inasmuch as the principal motion of the ball is that of revolution about an axis coincident or nearly coincident with the axis of the cylindrical socket. In any construction in which the end or face of the socket is parallel with the end of the car the cap Z must be cut away to permit of the necessary motion, and the joint 0 is therebyweakened and the bearing-surfaces correspondingly reduced.

It should be understood that whenever I use the phrase axis of a ball-and-socket joint in this specification or in the claims I refer to that axis of the ball which is perpendicular to the plane of the cap which keepsthe ball in the socket.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. A flexible pipecoupling, which consists of two universal joints, two pipe-elbows, each of which is supported at its upper end in one of the universal joints, together with a swiveljoint which connects the lower ends of said pipe-elbows together, the axis of said swiveljoint and the axes of the adjacent sections of pipe elbows substantially coinciding each with the other, substantially as described.

2. A universal-joint coupling for pipes, which consists of the following parts in combination; the ball,the cylindrical socket with exterior notches, the two-part packing for the socket, and the screw-cap for the socket, together with the spring-pawl which is attached to the cap and engages with the notches on the socket, substantially as described.

3. I11 a swivel-joint for pipe-couplings, the two pipe ends each provided with beveled faces, the two packing-rings having plane faces on their outer sides, but beveled to fit the pipe ends on the inner sides, a thimble which fits over each pipe end and its packingring, and a two-part muff-coupling, which holds the ends of the pipes together, substantially as described.

4. In a swivel-joint for pipe-couplings, the two pipe ends each provided with beveled faces, the two packing-rings having plane faces on their outer sides, but beveled to fit the pipe ends on the inner sides, a springthimble which fits over each pipe end and its packing-ring with a yielding pressure and which has an inwardly proj ecting circular lip which holds the packing-ring, and a two-part muff-coupling, which holds the ends of the IIO . 1o and-socket joints being so arranged that their axes are normally perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the plane of motion of the swivel-joint, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD F. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

A. P. SMITH, WAsHN. DANENHOWER. 

